That's right: Rondo's buzzer-beater Thursday night was the first of his entire career. And of course he saved it for revenge against the C's.

Rondo said after the game he "couldn't picture it this sweet." But crazily enough, he hit a shot from almost the exact same spot earlier in the day while playing with his son during Lakers shootaround.

When Rondo was playing with his son this morning, he hit nearly the same shot, on the same side of the court, as his buzzer beater. pic.twitter.com/l2IhQlmvtJ

The rest of the NBA community seemed to know this was a seminal moment for the veteran point guard, as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett (via his "KG's Area 21" Twitter account) were among the many left in disbelief.

10 things to watch during the Celtics' last 10 regular-season games

10 things to watch during the Celtics' last 10 regular-season games

Kyrie Irving has made no secret about not putting too much stock into what happens between now and the playoffs, a period of time when both he and Brad Stevens agree will include him sitting out some games to rest. He’ll be joined by Al Horford among those getting some rest, and don’t be surprised if you see Marcus Morris, Jayson Tatum and a handful of other players get a night or two off before the playoffs start.

Still, as important as being well-rested is, these remaining games do have some importance. First, the Celts would like to overtake Indiana for the fourth seed and get home-court advantage for their first-round playoff series. And there are other things that need some attention going forward.

And with that, here are 10 things to pay attention to during the Boston Celtics’ last 10 games of the regular season.

Why Danny Ainge isn't buying Celtics' "gloomy and doomy" outlook

Why Danny Ainge isn't buying Celtics' "gloomy and doomy" outlook

That's fair to say, as a squad picked by many to win the NBA's Eastern Conference enters Thursday as the No. 5 seed. With one more loss, the Celtics will be guaranteed their worst record since the 2015-16 season, when they lost in the first round.

But here's the catch with this group: The potential is still there. Kyrie Irving likes the Celtics' chances against anyone in the East, and if everyone is healthy -- they've missed Aron Baynes for big stretches and have had to be patient with Gordon Hayward as works back from ankle surgery -- it's not hard to see Boston making a deep playoff run.

"I feel like it's not as gloomy and doomy," Ainge said Thursday morning on 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Toucher & Rich" after the Celtics' 118-115 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers the night before. "I see a lot of really good things happening.

"Gordon was one of those things as he was starting to come back. I mean, his presence makes a difference. Baynes has been out a lot this year, and his presence makes a difference."

Ainge then made an interesting point:

"Statistically, in a lot of ways we're better than we were in our 53- and 55-win seasons of the last couple years. And I believe that we are. So, time will tell."

The Celtics' 2016-17 and 2017-18 teams finished first and second in the East's regular-season standings, respectively, and both reached the Eastern Conference Finals, overachieving despite a lack of firepower.

But Ainge is right: This C's squad, while on pace for a significantly worse record, does outperform those groups in several key metrics. The '18-'19 Celtics boast a 4.8 net rating, fifth in the NBA and the team's highest net rating since 2010-11. They're averaging more points per game (112.7), are shooting better from the field (46.5 percent), are playing at a higher pace (99.7 possessions per 48 minutes) and are committing fewer turnovers (11.6 turnover percentage) than each of the previous two seasons.

Of course, those numbers don't mean much when you blow double-digit leads to the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers in back-to-back games or lose to lowly clubs like the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns.

But recent wins over the defending champion Golden State Warriors and pesky Sacramento Kings give us an idea of what Ainge is talking about: When things are going well, the Celtics can compete with (and beat) anybody.